1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a system and method of purifying contaminated liquids. In particular, this invention relates to a method utilizing ion-exchange systems to purify liquid. More in particular, this invention pertains to the use of filtration media used in combination with ion-exchange systems to provide contaminant removal from liquids. Still further, this invention relates to a method where contaminated liquid is transported through ion-exchange resins of differing types in a predetermined flow path to provide optimized removal of liquid contaminants.
2. Prior Art
In some prior cases, industrial and commercial complexes which produced contaminated liquids have discharged these liquids into public waterways. This had the effect of polluting the receiving waterways and making such untenable for a wide variety of uses.
In some prior cases, filtration systems have been used to remove particulate matter from liquids containing contaminants. However, in such prior cases only particulates were removed from the contaminated liquid. Other contaminants in solution within the liquid were not removed by using this process. Thus, many types of contaminants in solution remained in the liquid after the filtration process was completed. Discharge of such partially contaminated liquid into the public waterways often times created a pollution problem and made such a health hazard.
In other prior systems and methods, ion-exchange resins have been used to provide removal of contaminants in solution. However, in some of these systems utilizing ion-exchange resins, the contaminated liquid passing through the resins is not adjusted for pH value ranges. In such methods and systems, the resins are not utilized to their fullest extent. Thus, increased quantities of resins must be used to provide a reasonable contamination removal from the liquid being processed. Such large quantities of resins necessitate the use of large structures to house the resins and such increases the cost of contaminant removal from the liquid. Additionally, where the contamination removal is not optimized, it has been found that in some areas, that the liquid contamination removal is not sufficient to purify the liquid passing therethrough and thus the liquid may not be discharged into public waterways.
In some prior systems utilizing ion-exchange resins for removal of contaminants has necessitated the use of large housing structures. Thus, in such prior systems in-place regeneration was necessarily used. However, such regeneration provided for additional equipment to be used in conjunction with such systems. This had the effect of increasing the cost of such liquid purifying systems. Such systems, due to their massive structure, did not permit the removal of the structures from the ion-exchange site. Thus, in-place regeneration also has provided for increased non-operating time of such ion-exchange systems, which had the effect of increasing the liquid purifying costs.